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View Poll Results: Vote for ONE of the MOTU Characters to be Featured in PART 5 of the Origin Art Cards!

Here's "Part 4" of the Multi-Part MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: "ORIGINS" Art Card Collection by Jafaristew! The project started off with the unpublished Whitman Origin characters as the basis, & before I knew it, I expanded the universe "art card idea" to include 50 (or MORE) MOTU characters from various media outlets since its inception. Next up is 2 mainstays, perhaps an early idea for Teela, & 2 1987 Movie concepts!
RAM-MAN: Based on his concept design shown in Mattel's "The Art Of MOTU" (sold at SDCC a couple years back), & colored like the 8-Back! In this story he is more like the guardian at the gates of Monarch City, large & imposing!
CHOPPER (aka JITSU): Inspired by the prototype from the 80's (monster feet, Tri-Klops sword), & loosely based on the UK comic colors for his upper torso! In this story Jitsu is cursed for wearing the "dark glove," a tainted object, and it has made him filled with rage as he can no longer remove it, and he is getting more monstrous from it's unholy powers as time goes on. He carries the emerald sword, which some day Tri-Klops will best him for.

HEROINE: This character was shown as a possible early version for Teela in Tomart's guide showing MOTU concepts years ago. She was riding a unicorn (who in this tale is "Charger.") Teela looks up to Heroine as a role model, she is a traveling Paladin from Monarch who goes from city to village all over Eternia with her guard to try and help the downtrodden. When Heroine meets her fate she will pass along Charger to Teela who she views as a younger sister.

(MCQUARRIE) ROBOT: Ralph McQuarrie (of Star Wars fame) worked briefly on the 1987 MOTU Movie as a character/concept designer. One of the characters he wanted to develop was a little robot for the Heroic Warriors. Gary Goddard did not like the idea and dismissed the character to be included in the movie. As a BIG Ralph MacQuarrie fan I found this little guy interesting and saw fit to include him as a tribute to a man who has greatly inspired my art. In this fiction he is Man-At-Arms helper.

WORRUCK: Another character developed for the MOTU 1987 Movie, Worruck never got past the concept stage, but looking like a desert warrior meets an Egyptian mummy, he was just too cool & I had to include him in this series! He looks to be of an evil nature so naturally I have him working with Skeletor (the evil power of the film) as one of his alliances. Worruck rules the Wasteland with his nomads and keeps Skeletor's enemies from crossing the hostile environment!

Special thanks to my brother Brian for his feedback, Poweredconvoy for his enthusiasm, & member Danbrenus for taking on some of these concept characters (like Heroine) for previous inspiration!

You can be heard in the next part's character selection, with the 1st "Fan's Vote" for one of the Part 5's characters presented above! All of the character's listed may be a part of this series, but you can guarantee your favorite from the list get's their art created FIRST! So don't forget to vote in the poll!

Jaf, this whole thing is great, exploring ancient MOTU sources is a big job and you are doing it very well...only one thing, Heroine is wonderfull and already I have to read about her death...you are cruel, man...

JafariStew, first thank you for sending me the message about 4 being up. You know I am a huge fan of your art. These continue to amaze me. The way you capture the emotions of the characters....quite frankly I have never seen anyone do that as well as you.

Ram Man - I can tell that Ram Man is somewhat like Luke Skywalker in "A New Hope". Torn between duty and the adventures he wants to go out and be a part of. He knows his calling is elsewhere, but he doesn't want to leave his post, yet he knows he will someday.

Chopper - For Chopper you completely captured the "Dark Glove curse" concept. It's almost as if you can see he in his expression that he is possessed by the power of the glove and that even if he was evil before, he is unsure of the devastation that his rage causes. With Tri-Klops being one of my all time favorites, I love the nod with the sword and that Tri-Klops gets the better of him and takes it.

Heroine - Once again, you have captured a female character much more deeply than anyone I have ever had the pleasure to view pieces from. It's the eyes I tell you. They tell the story so well just by looking at her. I can see so many different emotions...pride, fear, dedication... much like the Sorceress...

Robot - I too am a big Ralph McQuarrie fan. For the Robot, you have a feisty side, kind of like Orko where he thinks he is a bit bigger than his britches and a greater hero than others think he is. He is definitely something I could see Man-At-Arms inventing to be a tool grabber/assistant, and you did this piece so well. I am sure Mr. McQuarrie would be proud of your effort here.

Worruck - I have been a fan of this very obscure character that we knew by name and media origins only since I first saw the picture of the concept art a few years ago. He does appear to be evil in nature, and while he reminds some of the Star Wars Tusken Raiders, for me, he brings to mind Desert Scorpion from G.I. Joe (huge G.I. Joe fan). The way you wrote him into your fiction as being somewhat of a nomad who keeps Skeletor's enemies from crossing is brilliant. You made him look most imposing for sure, and it's a great piece..

I am a huge fan and supporter of the MOTU "Expanded Universe", and I cannot say enough how well you execute your art. I normally don't go this deep with my replies to art threads, but your work is just so amazing. Great work my friend.

Jaf, this whole thing is great, exploring ancient MOTU sources is a big job and you are doing it very well...only one thing, Heroine is wonderfull and already I have to read about her death...you are cruel, man...

Thanks dan, I often look at your works as you have conquered many of the obscure characters before and it's inspiring to me! I'm glad you like Heroine, you drew this character splendidly and titled her "Warrior Woman!" It was nice to see how you handled her colors and unusual boots!! A lot of times with my brief blurbs about the character, I am just talking about the big picture for the character rather than the present... Heroine meets her fate in time, but not immediately, her fall will make Teela even stronger in the fight for good! Thank you for the kind words my friend!

Originally Posted by Monteeg

JafariStew
Thanks for your new concept arts, man !
You have the power to bring the best of each obscure character and create an all new concept (most of then, much better than the original ones).
Congratulations again, my friend !

Your welcome Monteeg! I know how much you enjoyed Part 3 and I am glad that your enjoyment of the series continues! Thank you for the very nice compliments!

Originally Posted by TechTrek

wonderful work. so cool, and such a great job. amazing art. i am checking out the others!

Thanks for stopping buy TechTrek! I appreciate the compliments immensely and hope you enjoy the past & FUTURE installments!!

Originally Posted by iron_pride

JafariStew, first thank you for sending me the message about 4 being up. You know I am a huge fan of your art. These continue to amaze me. The way you capture the emotions of the characters....quite frankly I have never seen anyone do that as well as you.

Ram Man - I can tell that Ram Man is somewhat like Luke Skywalker in "A New Hope". Torn between duty and the adventures he wants to go out and be a part of. He knows his calling is elsewhere, but he doesn't want to leave his post, yet he knows he will someday.

Chopper - For Chopper you completely captured the "Dark Glove curse" concept. It's almost as if you can see he in his expression that he is possessed by the power of the glove and that even if he was evil before, he is unsure of the devastation that his rage causes. With Tri-Klops being one of my all time favorites, I love the nod with the sword and that Tri-Klops gets the better of him and takes it.

Heroine - Once again, you have captured a female character much more deeply than anyone I have ever had the pleasure to view pieces from. It's the eyes I tell you. They tell the story so well just by looking at her. I can see so many different emotions...pride, fear, dedication... much like the Sorceress...

Robot - I too am a big Ralph McQuarrie fan. For the Robot, you have a feisty side, kind of like Orko where he thinks he is a bit bigger than his britches and a greater hero than others think he is. He is definitely something I could see Man-At-Arms inventing to be a tool grabber/assistant, and you did this piece so well. I am sure Mr. McQuarrie would be proud of your effort here.

Worruck - I have been a fan of this very obscure character that we knew by name and media origins only since I first saw the picture of the concept art a few years ago. He does appear to be evil in nature, and while he reminds some of the Star Wars Tusken Raiders, for me, he brings to mind Desert Scorpion from G.I. Joe (huge G.I. Joe fan). The way you wrote him into your fiction as being somewhat of a nomad who keeps Skeletor's enemies from crossing is brilliant. You made him look most imposing for sure, and it's a great piece..

I am a huge fan and supporter of the MOTU "Expanded Universe", and I cannot say enough how well you execute your art. I normally don't go this deep with my replies to art threads, but your work is just so amazing. Great work my friend.

Your welcome iron_pride! you really went above and beyond with your very thoughtful views on this part of the series, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that as this is some of the most in depth critique and praise I have ever received in an online forum! You hit Ram-Man's character in this on the head! Bound by duty, seeking adventure! Same with Chopper, he is angry at what he has become and wishes he never saw the dark glove, he has become sloppy and out of control in his fighting which is how he gets defeated by the very skillful Tri-Klops! Chopper just wants his madness to end! Heroine is an interesting character for me and I am glad that my piece on her can evoke that much thought about her character from you. She is very good at what she does and serves as a peacekeeper and figurehead for Monarch. Riding from place to place, bringing hope & kindness... and beloved by all. I spent some time on the McQuarrie Robot, as I feel I owe Ralph McQuarrie so much to my imagination, and loved that he had a very small part in MOTU's history, you also got the robot's character down where he can't wait to prove that he is more valuable then as just an assistant to MAA, he is cutting edge technology in this barbaric world! A world that many would find him more fit as a aristocrats play toy to impress their friends rather than a Heroic Warrior! I kept making the joke to my brother's that he was the best character in the story and it's all down hill from here. All kidding aside, he was very fun to draw and reminded me of the "Robo Force" line from the 80's. Just something different for the MOTU world, yet still fits right in! On Worruck, I too am a BIG GI Joe fan and have always loved the vintage Desert Scorpion figure, he was a favorite of mine in my childhood and that's great that you could see a connection to the 2 characters. I think Worruck being "Ruler Of The Wasteland" fits, as he abides by Skeletor's rules and does not fuss with anything much outside of his realm, and not many would want to venture there anyway. He figures it keeps him in good spirits with the possible future "Master Of The Universe" while doing the bare minimum to stay in the demon king's graces.

Each part will feature classic well known AND obscure expanded universe characters!
Thank you again my friend for all of your very thoughtful words and appreciation for my craft, it's responses like this that guarantee there is more to come in the MOTU "Origins" series!

My friend, your art is so rare and amazing that I could not limit my mind to Part 3. I true blessing in my opinion....
I know Part 3 had two brazilian characters but I'm sure the series is beyond any part...

I have to admit I do like the early color scheme for Ram-Man, the visor is a nice touch, but I feel his helmet should still have the flat top for most efficient "ramming" !

I'll assume the beast feet and red eyes are a part of Chopper's cursed gauntlet? He's pretty cool but I'd recommend giving the gloved hand even more bestial attributes, like making more visible veins pulsating and maybe one or two fingers inexplicably protruding inhuman claws. I'd imagine he'd loose control during battle and his gloved hand would act on its own..do I dare mention the movie Idle Hands as the reference? LOL

I really love Heroine the most, like how you toned down her bright flashy color scheme from the concepts so she wouldn't be mistaken for She-Ra like blond Teela in the DC comics LOL. I definitely picture her as a traditional D&D Paladin trying to spread freedom and justice in Eternia's more harsher regions in a time before He-Man. I'd almost think that she's the one who discovered the Staff of Ka in a campaign and would be where she'd met her fate after the staff was returned to Greyskull until Teela was ready to wield it in her honor (in reference to gbagok's better bio IMO of Teela).

(MCQUARRIE) ROBOT to me looks like something out of a 1970s scifi movie like The Black Hole or something to that style, only with a full body and not hovering like a robo-Orko LOL. Still I kinda wish he had a transparent portion with visible colorful gears moving about for it to still feel MOTUish.

And yes I too had a Desert Scorpion figure as a kid so that's also what I thought about with Worruck, I can't help but think I saw something like this guy serving Trap Jaw in an issue of the DC comic when Adam meets Teela among those slavers, but I'll probably have to look it up again.

Great stuff all around Jafari, can't wait to see the next batch, any possibility of that concept Witch making it here filling the role of Evil-Lyn?

Visit my art page at: http://theblock.deviantart.com/ , if you like my work and have an account there to, feel free to fave or watch me, I could use the street cred !

these get better with every part jafari. i like how you always include a weapon with the character. this is my favorite current series on the fanart boards.

Originally Posted by iron_pride

I second this one. No doubt my favorite.

Thank you so much my friends!!

Originally Posted by theblock

I have to admit I do like the early color scheme for Ram-Man, the visor is a nice touch, but I feel his helmet should still have the flat top for most efficient "ramming" !

I'll assume the beast feet and red eyes are a part of Chopper's cursed gauntlet? He's pretty cool but I'd recommend giving the gloved hand even more bestial attributes, like making more visible veins pulsating and maybe one or two fingers inexplicably protruding inhuman claws. I'd imagine he'd loose control during battle and his gloved hand would act on its own..do I dare mention the movie Idle Hands as the reference? LOL

I really love Heroine the most, like how you toned down her bright flashy color scheme from the concepts so she wouldn't be mistaken for She-Ra like blond Teela in the DC comics LOL. I definitely picture her as a traditional D&D Paladin trying to spread freedom and justice in Eternia's more harsher regions in a time before He-Man. I'd almost think that she's the one who discovered the Staff of Ka in a campaign and would be where she'd met her fate after the staff was returned to Greyskull until Teela was ready to wield it in her honor (in reference to gbagok's better bio IMO of Teela).

(MCQUARRIE) ROBOT to me looks like something out of a 1970s scifi movie like The Black Hole or something to that style, only with a full body and not hovering like a robo-Orko LOL. Still I kinda wish he had a transparent portion with visible colorful gears moving about for it to still feel MOTUish.

And yes I too had a Desert Scorpion figure as a kid so that's also what I thought about with Worruck, I can't help but think I saw something like this guy serving Trap Jaw in an issue of the DC comic when Adam meets Teela among those slavers, but I'll probably have to look it up again.

Great stuff all around Jafari, can't wait to see the next batch, any possibility of that concept Witch making it here filling the role of Evil-Lyn?

This is wonderful feedback theblock, & I really like how deep your thinking about the characters here! Using your imagination from the illustrations & creating your own stories/backgrounds about the characters based on the images! I like all of your ideas, agree with your thoughts, and am thankful that you shared them!

I can tell you that the "Concept Witch" is planned for "Part 6!!" "Part 5" will be later this summer & "Part 6" is planned for October and just in time for the season, will feature a Halloween themed batch of MOTU characters!

I always enjoy your artwork; it has - to me - a bright vibrancy which is very much in keeping with the tone of its content (these are, after all, 'toon-based ideas.) But, at the same time - and critically - they use the faux-naive style to deceptive effect - and thus come across as having true depth as well as immediate appeal; not an easy trick to pull off - but you do it with colours flying!

I always enjoy your artwork; it has - to me - a bright vibrancy which is very much in keeping with the tone of its content (these are, after all, 'toon-based ideas.) But, at the same time - and critically - they use the faux-naive style to deceptive effect - and thus come across as having true depth as well as immediate appeal; not an easy trick to pull off - but you do it with colours flying!

Thank you Scriptor, you sound like you have had formal art training my friend! I really appreciate your powerful words and sentiments!

Originally Posted by iron_pride

Who is next JafariStew? Please let me know when you have more, these are just too amazing....

Part 5 will be coming in (hopefully) August & Part 6 in October, I try to have 5 art cards done every other month so you will be seeing more soon brother! As you now know Part 6 will be a "horror" themed batch, & judging by the fan vote here, (& my pre-selected characters), Part 6 looks to be filled with lots of females!

Well it looks like Princess He-ra/She-Ra just might win this fan poll! If so the next round is going to be GAL-Tastic!! And should be dropping sometime in August so get ready for this series to continue! The other characters will (most likely) make it into future parts and what ever order they fall in (popularity-wise) will likely be as to which part they are placed, with the next-most-popular being next in line for the next part of series (which would be part 7... as part 5 & 6's lineup has already been decided!!).